Trump asks black journalist if Congressional Black Caucus are 'friends of yours'

Amid the confusion of Thursday's press conference, President Donald Trump tried to have one black reporter set up a meeting with a group of African American legislators.

Donald Trump racism

President Donald Trump declared himself "the least racist person" at an impromptu press conference. Source: Getty Images

In a brief exchange that might otherwise have been overlooked between his claims about the margin of his win and fake news, President Donald Trump also asked black reporter April Ryan to set up a meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus.

When Ms Ryan, a reporter with American Urban Radio Networks, asked whether President Trump would look to include CBC in discussions on urban policy, he initially seemed baffled by the question.
"Am I going to include who?" he asked.

"Are you going to include the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus," Ms Ryan clarified.

The president then requested that Ms Ryan set up the meeting, asking: "Are they friends of yours?"

"I'm just a reporter," Ms Ryan replied.

"Let’s go set up the meeting. I would love to meet with the Black Caucus. I think it's great, the Congressional Black Caucus. I think it's great," President Trump declared.
Except that CBC with Trump - a request that the president never responded to.

In a Tweet that echoed the syntax of Trump's own, CBC said it was 'Sad!' that they had never heard back from him.

"If you are serious about addressing issues in the African-American community, you would be wise to tap into the decades of expertise held by Members of our Caucus," CBC wrote the day before Trump's inauguration.

"The Members of the CBC believe that actions speak louder than words, and your record thus far casts doubt on your commitment to seeking true equality," the letter continued.

According to a , President Trump's disapproval rating among black voters was 70 per cent.

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Published 17 February 2017 1:54pm
Updated 17 February 2017 2:03pm
Source: SBS News


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